Alex Carson
Strange Knock on the Door
After dark, if you aren’t expecting visitors, a knock on the door or a ring of the bell can be shocking. Most people wonder who could possibly be knocking on their door at night. In most cases, it is a friend or family member, and they are there for something simple. In other cases; however, the knock on the door is an emergency. It was an emergency that led to a knock on Jessica Penoyer’s door in April 2017.
A Shocking Visitor
When Jessica heard the knock on her door after dark, she wasn’t sure who it could be. When she looked out the window, she saw her 5-year-old neighbor, Salvador, aka Sal, Cicalese standing there. She couldn’t imagine why a little boy would be standing at her door after dark. In his arms, he was holding a doll. When Jessica opened the door, she realized that he wasn’t holding a doll. He was holding his 2-month old sister wrapped up in a blanket. This woman was shocked when she opened the door to see her 5-year-old neighbor clutching his sister.
“My Dog Died”
When Jessica opened the door, she thought that she heard Sal say, “My dog died.” She asked him to explain, and she immediately realized that he didn’t say his dog had died, he told her that his mother had died. Jessica jumped to action.
What Happened?
That night, Sal’s mother, Kaitlyn, was at home alone with her two children. After putting the two to bed, she decided to relax for a while. As a mother with two children, her life was pretty hectic. Her favorite way to relax was to take a bath. She started running the tub, and Sal woke up to a loud thud coming from the bathroom. When he got up to investigate, he found his mother unconscious in the bathtub. What he did next is shocking.
Taking Action
The first thing that Sal did was run into his sister’s bedroom. He took her out of her crib, wrapped her in a blanket, and took her downstairs. He knew that he couldn’t leave her alone in the house, so he was going to take her with him to get help. With his sister swaddled, he put her on the living room floor while he found a way out of the house. He couldn’t get the front door unlocked, so he went out to the garage. He grabbed a stool to help him reach the control to open the garage door. The first time he climbed up on the stool, he fell. Fortunately, he wasn’t injured. A pile of shoes broke his fall. When he got the door open, he ran back into the house and picked up his baby sister. The two went out of the garage and to Jessica’s house.
“Help”
When Sal told Jessica that it wasn’t his dog who died and it was his mother, she grabbed the phone and called 911. She told Sal to sit on the living room floor with his sister, and she would go check on his mother. Sal seemed calmer than he did when he knocked on Jessica’s door because he knew that he had successfully got help for his mother.
Sal’s Mother
Jessica rushed over to Sal’s house to check on Kaitlyn. Fortunately, she wasn’t dead in the shower; she was unconscious. The water was still running, and it was getting dangerously deep. Jessica turned off the water, and soon after, the paramedics rushed in. Jessica had suffered a seizure, and she was unconscious. They took her to the hospital while Jessica talked to the police officers and firefighters about Sal’s bravery.
Kaitlyn’s Prognosis
Fortunately, Kaitlyn was going to be just fine. If it hadn’t been for her son’s quick thinking, things would have been much worse. If she had remained unconscious in the tub, the water would have filled up around her, and she would have died. Sal saved her life.
Honorary Firefighter
The local firefighters wanted to recognize Sal for his heroism. What he did was something that kids twice his age would never have done. Because of this, they made him an honorary firefighter, complete with a helmet, a patch, a shirt, and a certificate. Sal was thrilled.
Questions
Since the incident, Kaitlyn says that Sal has many questions and fears. Kaitlyn says that he asks her every day if she is going to die that day and if she will be alright. All Kaitlyn can do is reassure her son that everything will be okay, and she isn’t going to die. She let him know that she had a seizure, which isn’t going to kill her. She says that Sal feels a little better every day. She will never forget; however, how her son saved her life.
